


Compilation of Short Stories

by Ruefully_yours



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/M, This was a spur of the moment, and that I should be happy that I get to write again, created because of ramblings at discord, if i'm not too lazy, inspo for this fic was picrew, so special thanks to picrew, so yay, summary to follow
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-11-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:20:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25588168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ruefully_yours/pseuds/Ruefully_yours
Kudos: 3





	1. Short Story #1 (The Student and The Professor)

“What are you doing here?”

Her pencil hovered over the paper as she heard the careful strides of her professor entering the empty classroom.

“Wow. Fancy seeing you too, Teach.” she raised her pencil in mock greeting, all the while her mouth curved into a half-sneer and half-smile as she met the surprised gaze of her professor, her eyebrow raised with silent judgment on his words.

A look of shame quickly passed by his face- dragging his palm over, eliciting a small grunt of exasperation from his mouth. “I- That’s not what I meant- I’m just…”

She let out a small huff of air, akin to laughter as she watched him fumble with his words, amusement displayed on her face. “Speak English, Teach. You should know your words by now.”

He directed a small glare at her before clearing his throat as to show his composure, leaning his body on the table directly in front of her desk. “I apologize for my crude words, Miss, but shouldn’t you be…somewhere else? Like say, somewhere not the classroom?”

She tilted her head, eyeing his expression before drawing her own conclusion from his words. “Huh.” she muttered. “And here I thought professors encourage their students to attend their classes.” she shrugged as she averted her attention back to her notebook. “Guess I’m wrong.”

He reached for his phone, frowning at a particular message. “You were informed we don’t have classes, correct?”

She hummed an affirmative, her free hand fishing for her phone, unlocking it without even a glance as she raised it to his level, the screen showing what appears to be her class’s group message where celebratory texts were showing one after the other. “How could I not?”

He let out a sigh. And here he thought, his students would wisely use this time to study for his upcoming quiz… It seems to him, his students would rather be doing something else than their school works. All… except one.

He looked back on her figure, his turn to tilt his head. “And what about you?” he asked, catching the way her hand slightly paused from whatever she was doing. “Why are you here?”

Her breathing hitched, her heart hammering against her chest as soon as she heard his question.

They both know that given any scenario, she would rather choose to do something else rather than hang out in an empty classroom especially in a day where there’s no classes. And it’s not as if she doesn’t have anything to do in her free time- in fact, if she were to choose between school works and helping her friend solve the issue of having three book characters appear into this world and help them return to their world, she would choose the latter.

But.

She couldn’t ignore this nagging feeling in her chest. That, if she were to ignore this annoying feeling, she would burst.

Swallowing her emotions, she looked up from her notebook to meet his gaze, placing her forearms on her desk. “Why are you here?” she defiantly threw his question back as if she were stalling for time. “President says you’ve got somewhere to be and not that I’m assuming or anything but I think you’ve got a life outside of school, yeah?”

He let out a guffaw. “You’re a brave one, aren’t you? Throwing a snarky statement at a professor, that is.” his words weren’t one laced with malice and for that she was grateful. _~~Isn’t that why he perked up her interest in the first place?~~_

“Not that it is any of your concern, but yes. I do have a life outside of classes.” he smiled at her, catching her off guard, her eyes widening at the sight before averting her gaze. “But so do you, Miss.”

She let out a scoff, letting her head rest on her forearms. “Do you even recognize the person you’re talking to?”

“Precisely my point. So why are you here?”

She hung her head down on her forearms, gathering all her courage. She had ran out of reasons to stall time for and it’s time to face the music; the reason why she had foregone helping her friend, rushing to the empty classroom instead, hoping to catch a glimpse of him.

“I… have something to tell you.”

“Oh?” interest lacing his tone, leaning his torso forward. “What, are you here to profess your undying love for me?”

“Yes.”

Silence engulfed them as the heavy realization set in.

They both knew what he said was in jest- something he had done without knowing just so he could lighten up the atmosphere and yet her response were instantaneous- as if she was waiting for him to say it first- to acknowledge what she had been harboring this entire time.

“…what.”


	2. Short Story #2 (The Ceo and The Worker)

“That went well,” she couldn’t help the annoyance lacing on her voice accompanied by blowing the remnants of her bangs away from her face as she freely let herself spin on the swivel chair of the now empty boardroom.

“Arguably,”

 _Or so she thought._

She jumped at the suddenness of the sound of his low, baritone voice permeating in the room. 

“What?” he asked her, taking in the shocked expression on her face. “Don’t tell me you forgot I’m still here.” he groaned when he saw the sheepish look on his face. 

She shook her head, ignoring his remark to ask him a question that’s been bothering her earlier. “You’re not mad, are you?”

His eyebrows furrowed. “Mad?” he questioned her. “And why would I get mad, Aurora?”

She swore she felt her insides froze at his seemingly innocent question. _Is this a trick question?_

At the tilt of his head, her eyes widened as she realized she must’ve voiced her thoughts out loud. 

Clearing her throat as if she’s gathering all of her courage to speak to her boss, she looked him in the eyes, unwavering. “I almost blew the entire partnership.” she spoke up with confidence, faltering when she saw how Zander’s expression morphed into an unreadable one. “I swear, I didn’t- I wasn’t trying to sabotage anything, it’s just that-”

Her breathing hitched when she saw him raise a hand to stop her from spiraling into jumbled ramblings of hers. 

“It’s fine.” his voice was curt. _Oh no, had she done it? Had she singlehandedly sabotaged her entire career? What will her sister would say?_ “You don’t need to explain yourself. I know that what happened earlier can hardly be your fault so don’t think too much about it.” 

She felt too constricted. Unable to move as she watched him gather the documents before him as well as pick up his blazer, preparing to leave the premises. 

“Easier said than done,” she mumbled as her wits returned to her. 

“What was that?”

“Nothing!” 

He turned back, eyebrows furrowed as he studied her. After a moment of silence he spoke up, “What do you want for dinner?”

Her ears perked up. For a second there, she was sure he would scold her once more for her lack of decorum but what she wasn’t expecting was an invitation to… _dinner_?

“I’m sorry, what?”

She had to make sure, alright? She needed to see that this wasn’t one of her fantasies playing before her due to her hunger. 

He turned his head away from her, his free hand raising to cover his mouth as he cleared his throat. “I presume with all the running and clucking you did earlier, feeding yourself must have flown out of your mind.”

She couldn’t believe it. Could this guy in front of her really be her stoic boss, Zander? 

Oh how she wanted to call him out on his concern- oh how she’s tempted to pay him back on all the teasing he did in the past but first…

“I’m not a chicken!”

His head snapped back towards her, mirth dancing on his eyes. “Out of what I said, that’s what you focused on?”

She huffed. “Well you implied it.”

He shook his head in amusement, scoffing at her reply. “So, dinner?”

All traces of hilarity were gone now and all that’s left are pieces of sincerity he hoped she had picked on. 

“Ah- I uh…”

“Just so we’re clear, this is a one time offer. Once you decline, I will never offer you dinner in the following days.”

“Mexican!” she exclaimed, her judgment momentarily blinded by the fact that he’s the one paying. “Mexican, it is!”

He bit his lip, defying the fond smile that is about to creep through his mouth, watching her stomp and march her way out of the boardroom with an energized expression he hadn’t seen in days. 

He figured this little dummy of his has earned her right to eat merrily and without a care in the world which is why he hadn’t hesitated to offer her dinner this time. 

“Boss!” she called over, catching the fond expression he had on his face, making her pause. “…don’t look at me like that,” she averted her gaze. 

He made his way towards her, raising his free hand towards her chin, directing her gaze back at him. “Don’t ask for something impossible.” he parried, brushing his thumb over her cheeks before dropping his hand to intertwine with hers. 

“Let’s go.”


	3. Short Story #3 (The Knight and The Dreamer)

Camryn doesn’t dream. 

If anything, it would be more correct to say that she is frequented by nightmares for so long as she could remember that she had started foregoing sleep whenever she can despite the nagging she got from her sister and concerned looks thrown to her by her friend. 

_You’re killing yourself here_ , Eli used to say not out of malice, no. Of course she knew her friend well enough to tell this is how she expressed her concern. 

But she could never have the heart to tell her- tell them how vivid the nightmare was- how suffocating it is to be constantly haunted by something- _by someone_.

Her nightmare would always, _always_ start with a blood curling scream that came out of nowhere and would often send shivers down her spine followed by dread slowly creeping through her stomach- a sick reminder of her imprisonment in her own mind. 

Her nose would then be overwhelmed by the smell of smoke- _the aftermath of a fire_ , she would tell herself, followed by an overpowering scent of metal.

In a normal day, she would’ve concluded she might be in a smithy. But, she had been standing in a field, desolated and barren, decorated with sea of bodies, piled one after the other, the ground soaking in nothing but red and brown. 

For so long as she could remember, this is her nightly norm- always surrounded by smoke, always accompanied by the dead, waking up drenched in cold sweat, the lingering feeling of resentment, despair, disgust, fear… and pain washing over her as she was desperate to catch her breath. 

_Do you want to talk about it?_ Rory, ever so gentle, so understanding had asked her when the dark circles beneath her eyes had become more prominent. _You don’t have to bear it all alone, you know?_

She’s grateful for her sister, she really does. However, this is something Camryn had decided to bear for herself. She would never subject her sister to something so gruesome… so terrifying. 

Thus the start of her sleepless nights. 

But there were times where curiosity will get the best of her. There were times where she’d wonder why the same scene; why, out of anything her mind can conjure, she’d envision an aftermath of a battle in some valley she had never seen before, why she’d envision bodies of soldiers and knights and people with eyes with the color so… unique. 

She had been warned numerous times by her sister how her curiosity might bring her harm someday but the feeling was so strong, she would overcome her apprehension and let herself drift off to sleep. 

_Just this one time_ , she swore. 

And just as before, this blood curling scream would greet her, bodies littered every where, and the onslaught of despair filled her once more. 

_**Shing!** _

Eyebrows furrowing- _that noise is new_ -, she froze as her gaze fell on a lone figure on top of the piled bodies, his back obscuring her view. He stood there, sword black as night drawn as if preparing to swing it again anytime, ready to be painted red. 

From a distance, she could see the way he stood- the posture of a disgraced knight, the way his grip tightened- a testament of his emotions, the way his head slightly moved- as if sensing an enemy or… a spectator of a private moment. 

_Monster!_ she could hear the anguished whispers, the resentment she couldn’t help but be familiar with. 

Despite the entirety of this scenario was made up ( _all in her head! Whoopee- doo!_ ) she couldn’t help but feel as if what she is seeing was real. Like a memory that had happened long ago. 

But that couldn’t be, right? 

She’s just a sleepless fool bound to be cursed by nightmares of deaths. 

_Run, child! Get away from him!_

The whispers had started to grow louder now, echoing from all over the place. She must be going crazy, that’s what it is but she should heed the advice, yes? From what she had gathered during horror nights with Rory and Eli, when someone is standing in a field filled with corpse, you run from that person, right? 

So why isn’t she moving? Why, instead of feeling fear in this situation, her chest just grew warm, and contentment… and sadness?

( _Goodness, Camryn! You’re going cray, cray girl!_ )

Heaving out a long shuddering sigh, she took a step forward only to see the knight tensed, sensing her movement out of the corner of his eye. And when he turned his head, their eyes met- and what she saw wasn’t the eyes of a monster. _Not by a long shot_. 

And then… she woke up.


	4. Short Story #4 (Koi no Yokan)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to ReoNa (her songs are used as inspo for this) and for the record, I’ll go and say that this is longer than most of my essays. (3k last check) 
> 
> You can view this as a continuation to one of the stories... won't tell which one but can be viewed as a stand alone as well.
> 
> Because of this, another prompt had sprung in my head. (5+1 prompt) but we'll see. It always depend on my motivation.

“There’s a phrase in Japanese: Koi no Yokan, ever heard of that?” 

She loves her friend, she really do. It’s just that, of all Camryn’s impeccable timing, she chose to bother her on the hour where she’s off brooding and overthinking the actions she had done a day prior. 

Eliza could always drive her away, make up ridiculous excuses that her mother even had a hard time deciphering if what she’s saying is true or not, but she could never think of doing that to her friend… nor have the heart to lie as the younger girl could always see through her. 

Heaving out a sharp sigh, forced out her reply. “Cam, not everyone has the patience to learn new language as a hobby.” she sounded patronizing but they both knew that’s as responsive as she can be. 

When she is greeted by silence, she turned her head towards her friend only to find her looking at her with those same analyzing eyes, saying nothing as she shook her head. 

“You look like shit,”

“The same can be said to you, Cammy.”

“That’s because I was studying. Can’t say the same thing about you,” Camryn said dryly, rolling her eyes. “Do you wanna know what it means or not?”

“Alright, I’ll bite. What does it mean?”

For a moment she could’ve sworn she saw her friend’s eyes twinkle but when she looked again, the twinkle was gone. Huh. 

Camryn shifted on her seat, angling her body to turn to Eliza, giving her her utmost attention. “Koi no Yokan doesn’t have a direct translation but the closest thing to describe the phrase is… love at second sight.”

Eliza bit back a groan and settled with throwing her companion with a pointed look. “What does that even mean? You look at a person, they’re not pretty enough, you look at them the second time, they’re now lovable?”

* * *

_It was summer when she first saw him. A scrawny little boy looking up at the tree, voice becoming hoarse at the yelling he had been doing as he failed miserably to convince the cat to go down from the high branch._

_Eliza knew she should help the boy- his expression looked crestfallen as if someone had killed that cat instead- but to be fair, the heat was all too sweltering, sweat leaking from all angles of her body and her clothes-_ oh god, _her clothes were now sticking as if they were her second skin._

 _Not to mention, she was completely irritated._ Category 3 irritation brought to you by this lousy weather and no-show friends. 

_Despite the helpless looks thrown her way, she did her best to ignore the boy as she paced around, missing the way his face had contorted into a concerned expression as she waited for Rory and Camryn to show up- willing them to go faster in her mind, justifying to herself that it was too hot to put herself through much effort._

_It was a lousy excuse, that much, she knew. But it wasn’t like she’s going to see him again._

_Just as her legs about to give out from exhaustion, she heard rustling from behind, turning only to catch a glimpse of the boy determinedly climbing up the tree._

_Her jaw dropped. Just how far would this boy go for some cat? She watched as he struggled with his short limbs reaching the branches to step on, his face showed determination as he barely reached the branch where the cat is._

_“He’s gonna kill himself.” She mumbled as she watched him gently reached out, petting the scared cat back into his arms. Judging from the boy’s clumsy way of folding his legs, he is preparing to jump from a high branch to which she rolled her eyes at._ He’s not seriously thinking of doing it, is he? _She thought to herself as her eyes widened at the boy’s stance._ He’s gonna do it. 

_What an idiot._

_Breaking into a quick sprint towards the tree, she extended her arms just as the boy jumped from the tree, easily breaking his fall. Both of them rolled to the ground, the boy crouched in a protective manner of the cat while she grunted slightly from the pain._

_Before the boy could even acknowledge her, she was on her feet, rubbing her dirt covered sweaty limbs, ignoring his call for her as she slightly wobbled away. Damn, it’s too hot now- well, hotter. If it weren’t for her conscience, she won’t feel this way then again, it’s not like she’s gonna see him again… right?_

_Spoiler alert, she did see him again. And unlike before, this time, he’s back with a name._

This is too big of a coincidence, _she tells herself as she watched Rory go over the top with the introduction of the two brothers to the two of them. And judging by the huge smile from her friend’s face, this is not the time for her to speak up saying how she doesn’t want to see this lanky boy because she’s afraid he might say something about what she did last week._

_It’s not like she was trying to keep it a secret- nor does she give a damn about what happened but if her friends were to know about how she saved a random boy when she won’t even blink an eye in helping them climb a tree… the teasing would be merciless._

_Nevertheless, it seemed as if the boy had forgotten about it going by his silence upon seeing her which for some reason is unsettling for her._ What on earth is wrong with me? It’s not like I wanted his thanks.

_“And this here, is Xavier, Zander’s brother.” she heard Rory say as Eli watched the boy smile as his eyes landed upon her while she tensed when she noticed a knowing glint behind them. “Nice name, by the way.” she heard Rory_

_He was about to open his mouth to speak when she blurted the first thought that entered her brain, effectively cutting him off._

_“Please tell me you’re not here to profess your love for me.”_

_Everything went still._

_For a moment, she could feel Rory’s surprised look burning holes at the side of her head, while she could hear Camryn’s small chuckles by her side. As for the boy standing before her… she’s afraid to have broken him._

_She would’ve loved to know his response if it weren’t for Rory simultaneously spouting out apologies while gripping her clothes as she dragged her out of the boy’s sight, trying to salvage the moment. She could hear Camryn’s chuckles turning into small laughs behind them as she bid the flabbergasted boys farewell._

_Her ears are filled with Rory’s scolding as they walked home while Camryn is throwing her teasing looks here and there but for stopping the dude from talking about what she did last week in front of her friends is so worth it._   
  
Xavier, huh. What a nice name indeed. 

* * *

Camryn looked at her as if she had grown another head, reaching out to flick her forehead to which she protested at. “Hear me out okay?”

Eliza rolled her eyes at her friend but gestured for her to continue.

“It’s like this, Koi no Yokan is when you look at them, you see the possibility of falling in love with them.” 

She let out a scoff. “What, like soulmates? It sounds like you don’t have a choice in the matter.”

Watching her friend launch in her tutor mode, she couldn’t help but smile at the effort her friend is putting through just for her. She may not say much, but Eliza knew her friend had sensed her wallowing in self-loathing. As her friend delved into the discussion of soulmates, she couldn’t help but reach over and ruffled her hair to which the younger girl protested at. 

* * *

_Eliza didn’t know which deity she had angered in her past or maybe in this life nor the reason why she had angered them but whatever it is, she is willing to sell her soul just for anything- anyone to fix the predicament she is facing right now._

_But in her defense, she hadn’t known there was a storm brewing and it’s unlike of her to go to school without her umbrella- although she distinctly remember Rory telling her she’d be borrowing her umbrella for the day._

_Lightning flashed and there goes the downpour of rain._

_She groaned, stepping back into the lobby, taking care not to let her backpack get wet as she had just finished her art portfolio and she’d be damned if it gets wet._

_Guess she had to wait until the rain dissipates then. Just. Her. Luck._

_“What a downpour, huh?” she jumped at the suddenness of the voice, whirling beside her only to see a tall, lanky boy with eyeglasses, looking at her with concern while his arm was outstretched as if he was going to reel her back from the rain. “You alright?”_

_Her arm tightened around her backpack while her free arm clutched her chest. “Can you not do that?” she hissed, trying to remember the breathing techniques Camryn showed her to ease her nerves while the boy mumbled an apology._

_When she felt she’s getting calmer, she started eyeing the boy suspiciously. “What are you still doing here? Shouldn’t you have left the school premises already?” she asked, judging by his stature, he is not around her level- perhaps an upperclassman with an extracurricular? But extracurriculars are postponed for the week. So… what is this dude still doing here?_

_It seemed as if her silent question is apparent on her face as the boy reached back to show her an unusual large umbrella._

_What the hell. Is he a stalker? How did he knew she doesn’t have an umbrella? How on earth did he even know her?_

_“Well… you don’t have an umbrella, do you Eliza?”_

_Her eyes narrowed as she opened her mouth to spew sarcastic remarks only for him to cut her off._

_“No, I’m not here to profess my nonexistent undying love for you.” he said haughtily, eyes twinkling in mischief._

_She blinked as the realization settled in. “You’re that boy with a cat-”_

_“Just Xavier please. Not boy with a cat- although, if I’m_ that boy with the cat, _shall I start calling you girl with sweaty arms?” he asked her with a teasing smile much to her chagrin-flashing him a sarcastic smile instead as he opened the umbrella, gesturing for her to walk underneath it._

_Stepping into the rain together underneath his abnormally large umbrella, their world was filled with deafening noise to compensate for the lack of words exchanged between them which she was silently grateful for._

_“I never get to thank you for that day by the way.” his voice was quiet and easily overpowered by the sound of the rain in the background but for her, his words had never been heard that loud. “If you would just let me talk back then, I might have expressed my gratitude.”_

_Although he was just beside her, she could feel his voice sounding oh so faraway. “Although, I think it’s because your friends were there and that you don’t want them to know. I understood. But you have no idea how I had to explain to my brother about your statement.”_

_She buried her face into her backpack, clutching it closer to her to hide her embarrassment from him. “To be fair, I was not expecting to see you again that time.” she mumbled to which he nodded at. “Is that why you waited for me with this weird large umbrella? To thank me for something I did when we were young?”_

_He hummed. “I overheard my brother talking to Rory this morning and she said something about how she stole your umbrella or so. I brought this just in case then.”_

_“But you and I have different classes- different year grade even! Not to mention, we don’t know each other!” she blurted out, pausing in her tracks.“You really didn’t have to go that far, y’know.”_

_He tilted his head at her. “True… but nobody asked you to break my fall either.” he patiently told her. “I heard you had gotten a limp for a week because of what happened.”_

_She opened her mouth to refute his statement when his free hand reached over, wrapping them around her shoulder to push her back to the center, nudging her to walk as the rain grew stronger._

_“Look, if you’re still uncomfortable, think of this as me paying you back, alright?”_

_She didn’t say anything until they reached her apartment complex where he graciously walked her till she’s underneath the shelter of the building. “Thank you.” she mumbled to which a smile broke out from his face, nodding to her once in acknowledgment._

_She watched his retreating figure with newfound interest. So he still remembered the incident from when they were young._   
  
So… the idiotic boy is not idiotic anymore, huh? 

* * *

“Are you still listening?”

Camryn’s voice broke her out of her reverie, giving her friend a sheepish smile to which earned her a sigh, gesturing for the younger girl to continue her spiel, curiosity getting the best of her, wondering what prompted her friend to go on about random Japanese phrases. 

“It’s like… a feeling when you meet someone that you’re gonna fall in love with. Maybe you don’t feel anything now and you doubt you’ll feel anything for them but it’s inevitable that you will.”

Eliza felt like a bucket of freezing water was poured over her, her breath hitching as her friend-despite all the ramblings- managed to hit her where it matters. 

But no matter. It’s not like she’d readily tell her friend about how close she had guessed what’s bothering her the entire afternoon. 

* * *

_Spring._

_The season for festivals and various social gatherings but for Eliza, ‘tis the season to get her shit all together if she ever wanted to get into a decent upper secondary school… one that she prefers to this time._

_She swore she would study rather than participate in these festival stuff, to hell with helping her fellow peers. She said she would._

_So why the hell is she running for her life, in the middle of a lovely spring day, eyes frantically searching for a vacant room, anything to hide her- them- from this… rampant stampede of horny young girls?_

_Blindly, she reached behind her only to meet the calloused hand of her companion, the sound of their heavy breathing and pants followed by the pitter patter of their feet echoed throughout the empty hallway. Her grip tightened as she looked ahead only to see a familiar classroom, dragging him inside as they listened for any foot falls that followed them._

_When a moment passed basking them both in silence, they collectively released their unknowingly held breaths._

_“You…” Eliza muttered, slumping down against the door- not caring about the dirt clinging onto her borrowed skirt while he took the space beside her. “…are the most troublesome dude I have ever met in my entire life.” she finished breathlessly as she wiped the sweat she had accumulated from all the running._

_He heaved out a deep breath. “I am honored, Miss Eliza.” he let out a small laugh at the absurdity of the situation as he pushed himself off the ground, dusting the dirt from his pants before holding out his hand for her to take. “Though,” he mumbled, his eyes twinkling in mischief. “It’s not my fault they were all taken by my looks.” he added as an afterthought to which earned him a smack on his forearm as Eliza got up from her position._

_“I wish your fan girls could see how much of a dork you truly are,” Eliza grumbled as she dusted the dirt off her café uniform. “Let’s see if they continue to cling onto you.”_

_“Aw, trying to get rid of your rivals so you could profess your love for me?” he turned around, shooting her a knowing smile as she rolled her eyes good-naturedly at his prompt._

_“Ha,” she countered with a roll of her eyes, small smile decorating her lips. “Weren’t you the one who professed his love first?”_

_He let out a hearty laughter earning a nudge from her elbow before flipping the room switch that illuminated the room they had taken a refuge from only to see they were surrounded by drying paints, unfinished canvases, the smell of acrylic now finding its way to their senses as their breathing returned to its normal state._

_“Shouldn’t we start going back now?” She asked, filling the silence about to hover between them as she watched him throw appreciative glance at the unfinished artworks. “Rory will definitely kill me once she realized I really ditched and Camryn will follow her when she noticed I didn’t let her come with me.”_

_“Oh come now, Miss Eliza,” his voice had a teasing hint in it, turning his head to look over his shoulder. “What’s life without taking breaks in between?”_

_She opened her mouth to retort only to be cut off by his chuckle._

_“Relax,” he told her, pausing at his tracks. “I’ll vouch for you, part-timer.” he said with a wink to which she rolled her eyes at._

_“Wasn’t even my intention to be part of this festival.” she grumbled, heart catching on her throat when she noticed him getting closer to a familiar canvas. “Xavier?”_

_He let out a low hum as a small bittersweet smile started creeping over his face, softly mumbling to himself as he reached over to the painting only for his hand to be grabbed by his companion._

_She had half a mind to tell him off, to get way from the painting she painstakingly made, the one she unconsciously poured her emotions into before discarding it off to the side when her teacher deemed it not worthy of being showcased to all. She had half a mind to push him off, to curse him because how dare he approach that damned painting with that annoying expression on his face? How dare he lay his hand on that wretched thing as if he understood what she is trying to portray- what she is trying to tell?_

_But he doesn’t know that._

_She blinked when he looked her way, swallowing the barrage of curses about to escape her lips. “Rory’s texting me non stop. You’re explaining everything to her.” she said instead, dragging him away from the room, the painting, away from her locked emotions._

_She thought she was being discreet, with her pulling him away but when she felt his calloused hands slowly fitting in with hers, squeezing it just right, she couldn’t help but wonder how he knew. Ignoring the constant thumping of her heart, and the warmth slowly engulfing her being, is it weird for her to take this as a sign of him comforting her?_

_And just like that, her eyes went wide with a sudden realization._

Oh… she’s screwed.

* * *

Scoffing, she shied away from her knowing gleaming eyes. “That sounds so cliché. Like a quote from a book.”

“It actually is. Nicola Yoon’s The Sun is also a Star. The book club just finished reading this book the other day.”

Eliza gave her friend a pointed look. “What. A. Nerd.” she grinned, reaching out to pinch her friend’s cheek whilst her hand was being swatted away. 

“In the wise words of Andrew Taylor, it senses the first tentative tremor of a feeling. It’s a surrender, above all, to the magic of potential.” Camryn whispered as she crossed her arms on the table, laying her head there as she stared at Eliza, all jest completely gone. “Call me whatever you want but you… you just thought of someone didn’t you?”

* * *

_“I… have something to tell you.”_

_“Oh?” interest lacing his tone, leaning his torso forward. “What, are you here to profess your undying love for me?”_

_“Yes.”_

* * *

Eliza let out a bitter laugh, joining her friend as she buried her head on the space next to Camryn’s head, hoping that by doing so, she's able to bury the feelings raging deep within her. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

_"...I'm sorry but I can't return your feelings."_


	5. Short Story #5 (The Hows and Whys of a Person in love)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How do you know if a person develops feelings for you?

**1\. They have fun with you even if the task at hand is not fun, per se.**

All Rory wanted was to spend time with her baby sister. 

That's all. Swear to god. She even went as far as planning an entire trip- just the two of them, lounging in some countryside, sipping coffee while they catch up with each other's lives. 

However, it seemed as if god hadn't gotten her memo of a nice, relaxing vacation. Instead, all she got was raging snowstorm outside of the little coffee shop they had discovered and a radio silence from her sister who is too engrossed with the reading materials she had brought with her. 

Huffing, she stood up and sat beside her sister, sinking unto the seat as she laid her head over Camryn's shoulder, looking over her notes. "How can you be so calm about this? In case you haven't noticed, sister dear, we're snowed in."

Camryn let out a scoff, poking her sister's cheek as she shifted comfortably to accommodate her sister's position. "Well, if your sister decided to kidnap you in the middle of pre-midterm week, dragging you to some place in the middle of freaking nowhere without any warning, a snowstorm would be the least of your worries, don't you think, sister dearest?"

She grunted at her sister's sarcasm, pushing down the irritation that’s creeping in. If it weren't for the fact that she missed this brat of hers, she would've throttled her by now. 

Just as she's about to counter her sister's statement, her gaze landed on the lone customer by the window, her eyes widening as she ducked all too suddenly, startling Camryn in the process.

"What-"

She hissed as she tapped her sister's thigh, shushing her. "My boss," she whispered as she peeked over the table to check if her mind wasn't playing any tricks on her. "You see that guy in a fancy suit by the window right?"

"Oh so that's your boss."

"Yeah, say that a bit louder won't ya?" she hissed, earning a smirk from Camryn. 

"Oh so-" Camryn yelped as she felt her thighs being poked harshly as she glared beneath the table where she watched her sister moved back to her seat, her back turned from where her boss is situated. "What, don't tell me you haven't asked permission from your boss for this. Are we vacationing illegally?"

Rory reached over the table, poking her sister's nose, watching in delight as her sister crinkled her nose in response. 

"Who do you take me for, Cam-cam? I am a responsible adult."

Camryn looked at her with pointed look before going over her reading materials, earning a jaw drop from her companion. 

"What, you're going to ignore me?" she asked, earning a highlighter waving at her direction silently telling her to get lost. 

"The way I see it, you've got two options, dearest sister of mine," Camryn muttered without glancing her way. "One, you get to sit in silence, occasionally enjoy your exquisitely made hot cocoa while watching your little sister cram everything Homer says because it's gonna be exams week soon and you oh so graciously decided to go on an illegal vacation as a means of sisterly bonding..." her voice trailed off, giving Rory a little dread from her sister's overly cheery tone. 

"But that would mean I'd get bored."

"But that would mean you'd get bored." They chorused, Camryn momentarily glancing up flashing her a cheery smile, giving Rory a sense of foreboding that whatever her sister had thought won't end well for her. 

"Or two," the younger sister continued, nodding her head to the direction they were both looking at earlier. "You go over there, say hi to you boss, and give him some company."

Rory scoffed. "Vacations are for escaping your terror bosses. I'm sure you know that and besides, he's not five," she protested indignantly. "He doesn't need a companion."

“I'm not implying he's five, I'm telling you to find a companion... for your boredom. You know? Let’s be bored together! That kind of stuff.”

"Are you saying that I can't function without a companion? What am I, five?" she let out an overly dramatic gasp when she didn't hear a response from her. "Oh the betrayal."

"Take it or leave it. I'll ignore you now."

She huffed, sinking to her seat as she reached over for her hot cocoa. She's not going. Nope. Not even gonna budge from her seat. To hell with getting a companion. She'd never willingly go to her boss even if she died of boredom!

* * *

"Hi."

And it turned out she did go over to her boss, boredom getting the best of her. 

"Oh you're here." Zander wasn't even looking up as she approached him, gesturing for her to sit across him. "Have you figured out how to modify the proposal you had sent?" his tone's all business like, for a moment there, she felt she’s back in his fancy office with him in front of her, sitting behind that large desk of his while he’s nitpicking everything wrong with her report. 

"What..." her voice laced with disbelief before taking a deep breath. Seeing her boss always gets on her nerves. It feels like any moment now he would make her do another revision just like what he's about to do. "Why, pray tell would I do that on my vacation?" she asked, making him pause at flipping the page as he looked up to meet her gaze. 

He looked her up and down, appraising her overall appearance. As the silence stretched, so did her patience. "...you're on vacation?"

"And you're not?" she couldn't help but retorting, leaning back to her seat, crossing her arms in front of her chest. 

He scoffed. "I wouldn't be wearing a suit if I were, dummy." he said, picking up another document. "So, what brings you here? I wouldn't think you'd be the type to approach your boss during vacation. In fact," he raised an eyebrow as his gaze fell on her. "I would even dare think you'd be the type to hide when she sees her boss."

Heat rushed over her cheeks as she ducked, hiding her face from him. "I- uh... Whaaaat? What gave you that notion? I love seeing my boss! You give me that energy to get to work, y’know?" she let out a nervous chuckle as he rolled his eyes at her obvious fib. "I thought I should say hi."

"Hello. Is that all?" before she could even respond, he let out a sigh as he waved his free hand- a sign of dismissal from him.

She huffed at the second dismissal she received that day. How can people brush her off like that? She can understand her sister’s dismissal as she knew that brat of hers and her tendency to ignore her surroundings once she got absorbed in her readings but Zander? Well… considering the office rumors about him, she shouldn’t have expected much but he could’ve been at least a bit cordial about seeing her and not look as if she had just singlehandedly ruined his day.

Just as she is about to go back to her table, she caught a glimpse of the proposal she was supposed to modify.

 _To be or not to be, that is the question._ She told her superior she would try and get it done after her vacation but she supposed there’s no harm in starting now. But with his attitude, she felt like she doesn’t even owe him anything. 

Cheeks puffed, she stood up with the intent to go back. “Wait,” Zander’s stern voice made her pause in her track. _Oh god. What did she do this time?_ “Since you’re here already, why don’t you pitch in your modifications for the report you had submitted?”

 _Is he for real?_

Rory closed her eyes, counting to ten before turning back to him. “You have a strange way of asking for help.” she couldn’t help but feel smug. “I can just walk from here you know.”

Zander gave her a pointed look- really, what’s with these people giving her a pointed look? First it was her sister, now her boss? “And here I thought seeing me gives you the energy to go to work?” he let out a smirk as he watched her face flash different emotions in span of seconds. “Don’t tell me you were lying the entire time?” his voice held a tinge of teasing in it, even daring her think they were sharing a banter with each other. 

“Alright, fine.” she gave in. “What’s in it for me? And don’t say my salary because that’s given.”

He rolled his eyes as he watched her look over the documents. “Well, what more can I give you aside from your salary?”

She shrugged, plopping back to her seat. “You’re the one groveling for help.”

“Shall I buy you more of that _exquisitely made hot cocoa_ or do you prefer something else?”

“Something else please and-” she froze, wide eyed as she turned to the man before her stand up as he pulled out his black card while dread crept through her whole being. “You heard us?” she squeaked, watching in horror as her boss gave her a smile she could’ve sworn looked a bit murderous. 

“It would be a miracle not to.”

As he walked over the counter, she reached over the table to retrieve the document she’s supposed to modify, a small smile creeping over her mouth despite of the embarrassment rushing through her veins, dropping the smile when she felt him return. 

She must be delusional if she’s smiling because of her boss. Nope. She’s not smiling because of him. Very impossible. 

* * *

**2\. They look at you… a lot**

For someone who works directly under him, it should go without saying that she should be used to seeing her boss wherever she goes. Be it in the lab room, or the boardroom- hell even in coffee shops! She should’ve known his face would be a constant in her life ever since she started working for his team. _Desensitized_ , dare she say. 

And yet, she couldn’t help but gawk at him who is currently perched on her sofa, working his way with her laptop. 

“Is there something you wish to say or are you daydreaming again, dummy?” his baritone voice laced with hint of annoyance brought her out of her reverie, stepping into the threshold with two mugs of piping hot coffee to warm the both of them, placing his on the coffee table. 

“Well… you look like you’re so out of place in my living room while you’re wearing that fancy shmancy suit.” she remarked, sitting down on the floor next to him. “You didn’t have to dress up, you know? This is just some impromptu meeting where you’re gonna review my questions for the research survey and you’ll gonna critic the entire questionnaire that I have to redo the entire thing.”

He glanced over her, reaching over to poke her forehead. “I was in a meeting before this,” he deadpanned, ignoring her jab at him. “What do you take me for, wearing fancy suits just for fun?”

She shrugged, cautiously blowing over her mug. “Well, how am I supposed to know that? For all I know, you could be the type who draws happiness out of wearing fancy suits.” she piped earning a small chuckle from him making her turn her her head towards him so fast it was a miracle she didn’t get a whiplash. 

“Fancy suits are a pain to wear, dummy.” he corrected gently, picking up the pen nearby, scribbling as he looked back from the laptop. “Do remember that next time.”

Silence engulfed them both, the sound of pen scribbling over the paper occasionally filling in between the gaps as he work over the questions while she left him be, scrolling over her tablet for any e-mails she missed- no point in her commenting about the notes he is taking down, figuring she should save her thoughts from when he is done. Every so often, she would find herself pausing mid-scroll, glancing over to her companion, lost in thought. 

“You must’ve enough free time if you keep staring at me like that.” he spoke up suddenly, not looking up from his notes, jolting her out of her thoughts. 

“Whaaaat?” she nervously dragged, letting out a small laugh as she averted her gaze, fiddling with the stylus on one hand. “Why on earth would I stare at you?”

“You tell me.”

She let out a huff, pursing her lips in annoyance at the fact she got caught by him. “I wasn’t staring.” she grumbled under her breath, earning a hum of indifference from him as she went back to scrolling through her tablet, occasionally checking to see the progress he’s making and if he’s still alive.

“You’re staring again.” she heard him deadpan, sighing as he looked up to meet her eyes. “What is it now?”

She could feel the heat creeping through her cheeks as she shook her head, her breath hitching at the way the sun rays hit his eyes, revealing their natural hues. “Nothing!” she blurted out, standing up so suddenly as she marched her way to the kitchen. “I’m hungry! Are you hungry? You’re definitely hungry, I’ll whip something up!”

_Was his eyes always this shade of brown?_

* * *

**3\. They pay more attention to you**

Every once in a while, there’s a fundraising event that their company organizes and while she works in the laboratory part of their company, it is mandatory for them to attend.

And while she complained and bemoaned how she had to wear these dresses and high heels, pretending to be classy for these haughty businessmen, her sister’s convinced she enjoyed these parties.

 _It’s the food,_ she swore. Her sister waged it’s because she gets to see her boss in fancy suits to which she scoffed and turned her nose up at. 

It’s not like she hadn’t seen her boss wear these fancy clothes, right? The man wears them like it’s a second skin!

 _So why come to these parties then?_ Her sister had asked her then. _You’re just making things hard for yourself- just fake an illness or something._ And then her sister would shake her head at her as if she found her weird. 

She could’ve retorted with _it’s mandatory!_ but that would mean she’d be lying not to her sister but to herself when she knew the reason for her appearance to these parties. 

She never told a soul but every once in a while, she’d stand over to her safety corner, armed with a plate of _hors d’oeuvres_ , effectively hidden from the world but at the same time gives her the view of the entire party at its full swing. 

And while the food isn’t that satisfying, she would find herself less complaining as her eyes naturally gravitate towards him, following his every movement. No, it’s not because she wants to ogle. She just never bothered to know the reason behind it. Perhaps it’s the way he carried himself among his peers, his investors and prospects alike that is quite different when he talks to his employees and subordinates. Or perhaps… it’s the way he would slump his shoulders- ever so subtle when he thinks no one is looking, the way he would drag his palm across his face as if he’s just completely done with everything. No one notices of course- not unless they were actively looking at him. 

More often than not, her eyes would always glance over his eyes and would note the bleakness compared to the warm hue she had witnessed the other day. 

So why come to these parties anyway? her sister’s unanswered question rang in her head. _Why indeed?_

Despite what her sister says, she’ll keep attending these parties and the next one after that and the next one till she find the answer to the question and perhaps, the courage to step out of her safety corner and onto his side, hoping to erase the tiredness he felt altogether.

* * *

**4\. They show empathy- in good times and bad**

It was a peaceful morning- the sun shining outside, she managed to finish all her overdue paper works last night and with her having to report to work not until that afternoon, it’s a great day to be sleeping in and lazing around until noon. She deserved it after all. 

However, all things were shattered by a shrill ring echoing throughout the peaceful apartment followed instantaneously by groans from both occupants. 

“If you don’t shut that thing off,” Camryn groaned from across the room as the shrill ring continued to reverberate through the apartment while Rory's hands reached up, blindly feeling over her bedside table for her troublesome phone. “I shall break that thing into pieces and throw them out you won’t be able to jigsaw your way back.” 

She ignored her sister’s threat as she finally located her phone, accepting the call on instinct, humming a hello. 

On the other end, she could recognize Zander’s rich baritone voice despite sleep clouding her consciousness. “Are you okay? How have you been lately?” his voice is soft, she could almost hear a tinge of fatigue somewhere in there- a complete contrast of his usual cold, strict tone she’s used to hearing.

She didn’t know what possessed her to reply to him with a vague hum when she should’ve been yelling at him for calling her so early in the morning- boss or not. Oh well, she could always blame her sleep addled brain for her response.

She could hear some rustling at his end followed by a stretched silence. "How's everything going in France?"

Her heart leapt, her eyes opening wide as she yanked her phone back as if she was doused by ice cold water.

_Did he just say France?_

If she weren't mistaken, the closest French thing she had ever done was binge eat french fries and french toast with Camryn and Eliza during a French themed festival where they didn't get to enjoy due to the stomachache they all experienced afterwards. 

"I miss you." Zander's voice floated from her phone, his voice full of affection and deep emotion that she almost didn't want to interrupt him but if he's dialing the wrong woman, someone's gotta call him out for that right?

"Uh... this is Rory." she whispered hesitantly. She's not even sure why she's whispering considering the fact that Camryn is settled from the other room and their morning has already been ruined by the loud ringing. 

Just as she's about to offer more explanation, Zander hang up on her. 

Wow. _Rude_. 

Though, as she sat up she realized that she has meetings to attend to. Their next meeting will be so awkward... oh but, she yawned. It's not like they'll cross paths right? After all, Zander is a busy man. 

Comforted by the thought, she nodded to herself as she fell back in bed, ready for round 2 of slumber.

* * *

Looking out of the windows, she hadn't noticed how dark it was. The meetings she had for the day ran later than she had intended. Sighing, she pressed the elevator button, whipping out her phone to send a quick text to her sister. 

A small ding caused her to look up only to see the elevator door open to reveal the very same person she had tried to avoid running into the entire afternoon. 

Looking at his expressionless face, she forced a small nervous smile. "I-uh... I'll get on the next one." 

"Get on." he deadpanned, holding the door for her. 

All facade she had put were dropped. "What?"

"Get. On." He emphasized, not taking a no for an answer as she scrambled to her feet, shuffling as she entered the elevator. 

She felt uneasy as she tried to ignore the stare burning at her back, uncomfortable silence hanging over the two of them. 

"You got a call this morning, didn't you?" he broke the silence as he stepped next to her. 

Thinking of the words he spoke that morning, she couldn't help but blush, hiding her face from him in reflex. "Uh..." she trailed off, earning a sigh from him. 

"Why won't you look at me?" he asked, prompting her to look up only to see him staring at her intensely. "What did you hear?"

Judging from the stare he is giving her, she knew she won't be dismissed until he had squeezed all information she had. She turned to him, fully giving him her attention. "Just some few sentences... oh but don't worry, I won't blab to anyone!" she blurted the end. 

"And..." she hesitantly continued before her brain caught up with her mouth. "...if you miss her that much, why don't you just go to her? You have the money, you can make time! As long as you two love each other... there's no distance too wide, right?"

She didn't know what possessed her to run her mouth the way she's doing now nor why her throat was constricting nor why her chest was tightening as she spoke the words but as she saw the fatigue in his eyes, reflecting as the light hit, she knew she had to do her best to encourage him. 

"Love? What on earth are you yapping on about? Do you even know what you're talking about?" 

"Well... no." she muttered, averting her gaze before a determined look replaced her hesitation. "Even so, you gotta lower your pride, man and get your girl! If she's as wonderful and beautiful as she sounds, you gotta step up your game-"

"Okay, that's enough nonsense." Zander pinched the bridge of his nose as he pressed the button of the top floor. "You, come with me." he said as he alighted the elevator towards the rooftop, leaving her no choice but to follow him no matter how much she wanted to protest. 

As she neared him, she saw him lean over the railing. The sound of the cars below had been nothing but white noise fading into the background and all is left between them are the rampant thoughts written on her boss' face, the silence deafening between them.

For some reason, she wanted to reach out to him, her face scrunching into a frown as she watched him get lost in thought. 

"This morning," he began, voice pensive. "I called my mother. She went abroad many years ago and my father said she went to France but she never came back."

Her breath hitched. Mother? So he doesn't have... she shook her head, hoping to shake her thoughts along with it. 

"Well maybe you could see her again? You could go to France?" she offered, weakly.

"I can't see her anymore. She passed away."

 _Oh._

Now everything makes sense. The deep emotion, the fatigued look, the way he got lost in his thought...

"But I still call her and tell her the things that happened to me recently." he let out a small bitter smile, hanging his head.

"...do you need a hug?"

He turned to her as she offered him her sincerest smile. "What?"

She took the space beside him, still facing him. "When my grandmother passed away, I was inconsolable. My sister, who's not used to comforting someone offered me a hug back then and it may not have repaired the devastation I felt, I found that hugs can make you feel like you don't need to bear it all alone."

He a flash of indiscernible look crossed his face, the look quickly disappeared before she could even make sense of it as he cleared his throat. "Then, may I?" 

His voice, small and quiet in contrast to his usual commanding and dignified voice made her heart lurch out as she opened her arms to which he stepped into, burying his head on the crook of her shoulder so fittingly as if it was a place made for him- _for them_. 

* * *

**5\. They remember the little things**

“Alright!” Eliza snatched an unused spatula as she brandished it around as if she’s holding a microphone. “Welcome one and all to the annual Schuyler Sisters’ bake off! I’m your host, the lady who founded the first orphanage and the woman who got cheated on by her husband with the entire world knowing because of the said husband aired that dirty laundry by publishing it- Elizaaaaa!” she sang to which earned a eyeroll from Rory while an amused grin from Camryn who’s currently laying down the ingredients in their counter. 

“Schuyler sisters?” Camryn questioned, raising an eyebrow at their friend who’s now humming the song with the same title, looking over their ingredients.

“Uh huh,” Eliza chirped, pointing to Rory. “We’ve got Angelica,” pointing to Rory then pointing to herself. “Eliiiiiza!” she sang as she pointed the spatula to her last to which she prompted the younger girl to mutter, “…and Peggy.” to which earned a grin to the prompter. 

“Good!” she clapped her hands. “So what are we making, sisters?”

Camryn looked over by the recipes and counted them off. “So we’re making tiramisu for me, some brazo de mercedes, uh… cupcakes, I’m assuming and…”

“…and cheesecake.” Rory supplied as she started adding the ingredients, prompting the two girls to look at her in surprise, turning to each other with questioning glance when Rory didn’t even glance their way. 

As far as they’re concerned, during these bake offs, they would always go for two cakes at most and the cupcakes they’re gonna give out to children of the orphanage down the street just because they always love it seeing those children eat sweets they painstakingly baked. And while they had done some variety, they never did cheesecake before since it’s easy to make and they’ve always tried to challenge themselves. 

“We’re gonna give ourselves another stomachache with all these cakes.” Eliza deadpanned when her friend didn’t offer an explanation for the extra cake. “Remember the french festival? Man, I don’t think I left my bed that entire day.” she reminisced as Camryn nodded quietly in the background. 

“I think I hurled all my guts that day.” 

As they talked, they couldn’t help but glance over the unusually quiet girl baking all to herself on the side. As far as they can remember, Rory’s all for baking with them but she had never exerted this much effort on a particular cake. Not with Eliza’s cake, nor Camryn’s- hell not even her own cake!

So what made this one different?

Not wanting to disturb her concentration and face her fury, Eliza and Camryn stared at each other, making faces until one of them cracks ( ~~ _their own way of rock, paper, scissors_~~ ) to which Eliza lost to, cursing the victorious girl as she went back to mixing the wet ingredients with dry ones. 

“Sooooo,” Eliza trailed off, sliding next to the older girl. “What’s the occasion? What have Camryn done this time that evoked your wrath in a form of you giving us stomachache for the holidays?” she asked, nonchalantly earning a flick of batter to her direction by the younger girl to which she retaliated with sticking her tongue out for her. 

The exchange however, did not deter the older girl from her task, mumbling soft words to herself as she checked the recipe once more. 

“Hello?” Eliza waved her hand over to the older girl’s face. “Anybody here?”

“Not now, Eli,” Rory slapped the overzealous girl’s hand softly away from her face. “I need to finish this in time for his birthday, okay?” 

Eli’s head turned quickly towards Camryn with a questioning glare. His birthday? Did some miracle happened that Rory had somehow gotten a boyfriend without her knowing? And why didn’t Camryn tell her about this?

Just as she’s about to blow a gasket, Camryn’s head perked up. “Oh you mean your boss?” she asked to which earned her a nod, her mouth curling into a knowing smile as she relaxed. 

“Wa-wai-wait. What boss?” Eliza asked, hovering in between the sisters, not caring if she disturb them both. “What the hell am I missing here? Who on earth gives cake for their boss’ birthday? How come you know your boss’ birthday?” she fired the questions to which were all ignored.

“Well…” Camryn turned to her as she placed the tin in the oven, facing her as she leaned over the counter. “I guess Angelica finally got together with ‘ _Xander'_.” she commented to which Rory gave her a warning look. 

“One, his name is _Zander_ as in with a z and not an x, get your facts straight, Cam-cam and no, we’re not dating. Two, the only reason why I’m baking a cake is because he insulted my baking skills from before and I told him how I’m going to give him the best cake of his life and three, it’s just a coincidence that the only free time I had is now which is the day before his birthday so…”

“…you still didn’t answer as to how you know his birthday.”

“I just saw it in an article somewhere,” she waved off, the two girls sharing a glance at each other, communicating silently what they have been thinking the entire time. 

For someone as forgetful as Rory, it's interesting how she didn't need a post-it note to remind her of her boss' birthday. 

* * *

**6\. They introduce you to the important people in their lives**

_She just wanted to do a decent thing here._ She deadpanned. What started as an excuse to get away from him, ended up with her wanting to get some food in their system since knowing her boss, he would criticize the whole damn survey while lecturing her on how to do better.

And now, they don't have food. Rory thought as she stared at the empty cupboard, wondering how she's gonna tell her boss- the same boss who snubbed her offer of fast food before- that she's going to order take out since they don't have food. 

Just as she's about to abandon all hope, she heard a small voice from the other room, announcing her arrival, making her dash from the kitchen, back to the living room where she saw her sister, taking her shoes off, a bag of grocery is hanging on her free wrist. 

A sense of relief coursed through her, glancing back to her boss who's curiously watching them. Just as she's about to welcome her sister back, another voice was heard. 

"We’re home! Hope you're hungry cause we're in a mood for some homemade food this week and not the garbage food we’ve stuffed with all week long!" Eliza called, entering the threshold while dragging Camryn to the living room only for the two girls to freeze on their tracks as they saw a foreign figure in the living room just behind the equally frozen girl in front of them. 

A gust of uncomfortable silence fell between the occupants of the apartment, all were eagerly waiting for someone to break the silence. 

“…oh so you’re the boss.” Eliza couldn’t help but blurt, anything to end the awkwardness all to which earned a mortified look from Rory while Camryn bit her lip- fighting the amused grin forming on her mouth while Rory shot her a pleading look to which she nodded to, wordlessly yanking Eliza towards the kitchen. 

“I will be cooking for four persons and I would hate it if I suddenly miscounted.” she announced, pulling a silently protesting Eliza away from the room, leaving the two in the wake of awkwardness. 

Rory flinched when she heard rustling behind her and while she is perfectly contented where she stood, she had to face him at some point. Turning around, she wasn’t surprised to see her boss packing his things up. 

Taking a sharp breath, she forced herself to look calm as if nothing had transpired earlier. “Uh… my sister doesn’t really like it when she miscalculated the people she’s cooking for,” she fiddled her thumb with the hem of her shirt, forcing herself to look at him only to feel outraged at the amused look on his face.

“Oh do please go on.” he encouraged, waving his hand for emphasis. “Your point being?”

The nerve of this cheeky man! Wanting her to really say the words out loud, huh? 

She scrunched her nose as she grit her teeth forcing the words to come out. “That being said, would you like to stay for dinner?”

He studied her features, seemingly trying to find something. “I don’t know, the hostess seemed reluctant so I couldn’t help but feel as if I’m intrud-”

“I insist!” she all but yelled- knowing that if she let him leave, Camryn will attack her with a wooden spatula in her sleep, her outburst surprising her while Zander tilted his head at her.

“…then who am I to refuse?”

And while she initially thought the night would be spent in awkward glances and radio silence in between bites, she hadn’t expected the genuine laughs and friendly banters shared among the people in her life. (Well mostly, they ganged up on teasing her the entire night and while it was insufferable for her, she wouldn’t trade it for the world. After all, she’s surrounded by the most important people in her life.) 

* * *

**7\. They often mention the future**

_“Can you wait for me?” his voice so soft, reaching over to tuck the stray strand covering her face as he wiped the tears threatened to escape from her eyes._

_“I’d wait for as long as it takes.” his brave façade slipping just a little but at the certainty she had displayed. Knowing her impatience? He wanted to scoff but thought against it as it would ruin the moment they built between themselves._

_Should he just stay then?_

_Letting a sigh escape from his lips as he pulled her close to him, relishing the warmth she exudes in contrast to the crisp autumn air. “You won’t forget me, will you?” he whispered._

_“How can I?” she whispered back, burying her head on his chest, willing for the time to slow down just for a bit while they cherished each other’s presence, neither pointed out her tendency to forget even the smallest things._

For someone who’s forgetful as her, it’s a bit frustrating whenever she wakes up from a distant dream that would leave her unsatisfied in her waking moment- as if there’s something she should remember but she for some reason she just… can’t. 

Is it even a dream? She wondered. The way it felt last night felt more than a dream- a memory then? She wanted to scoff. She would’ve remembered if someone looked at her tenderly the way the boy looked at her dream self, right?

“Head in the clouds again,” she heard a tsk-ing sound as she looked up from the vials to see Zander leaning on the door frame, his arms folded across his chest. “I keep wondering how you’re good with your job and yet your attention’s always flying somewhere. Shall I move you to other department?”

She let out a scoff, returning her attention back to the vials in front of her. “You said it yourself, I’m good at my job. It won’t make sense if you decided to move me to other department.” she countered, earning a smirk from her companion unbeknownst to her.  
“You’re getting good at countering me,” he commented offhandedly as he glanced around the laboratory. “And yet you couldn’t hand over the proposal on time.” he said, her eyes widening as she mumbled profanities under her breath.

She whirled around, excuses ready to spill from her lips only to meet his expectant stare. “Uh you see-”

“7 sharp then.” he cut her excuse off, knowing what she’s about to say, watching her as her eyes flitted towards his in surprise. 

“But don’t you have other commitments? So like, shouldn’t you get off work earlier than me? And what about those commitment of yours? And how _can I just make you wait_?” She couldn’t help but ask, her task forgotten. 

“Canceled and of course, _I’ll wait for as long as I have to_ for your late proposal, dummy.” he simply replied, turning his back from her as her eyebrows furrowed how are those words seem so familiar? “ _You won’t forget this time, will you_?”

“ _How can I_?” she mumbled as she watched his retreating figure. Dumbfounded, she couldn’t help but feel like this has had happened before. Has this happened before? She shook her head, how can it be when her interactions with her boss are… realization crashed down on her. Hard. 

Is this his way of asking her for a date? There’s no way, right? No freaking way. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Surprise. Yay. This chapter's dedicated to a very dear friend of mine. Happy Birthday, boo. Hope you enjoy your day. Here's a little gift from me to you. 
> 
> I got the inspiration when I was scrolling tumblr and I found an article about this. Also, credits to MLQC for some of the ideas and dialogues used. Bonus point for someone who gets the musical reference. 
> 
> Article: https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-tell-if-someone-is-in-love-with-you-2018-4?IR=T  
> Inspo fic: https://bluesidedd.tumblr.com/post/183961134277/7-signs-someone-is-in-love-with-you


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